Mountain Adaptation Outlook Series - Synthesis Report

Convention, specific goals on climate change and natural disasters have been included. In the South Caucasus, a number of policies and legislation regulate the management of the water sector, although neither Georgia nor Azerbaijan consider climate change adaptation in their legal framework for water management. However, Armenia’s legal framework for river management does. A pilot project on water management in the region led by the EU and USAID has, however, addressed climate change adaptation. All the Andean countries have included climate change adaptation goals, targets and implementation tools in relevant polices for the water sector, with the policies predominantly guided by the Integrated Water Resources Management Approach (IWRM). There is however a need for the Andean countries to invest resources in disaster risk reduction measures, such as early warning systems. The policies do not consider specific strategies for adaptation in mountains, and existing mechanisms are biased towards urban areas. In the Hindu Kush Himalaya, all the countries have relevant water acts and policies in place, most of which are focused on management and development, with an operational level of river basin or watershed. Policies for the water sector do acknowledge the need for climate change adaptation, and related hazards such as droughts, floods and flash floods. However, strategies addressing floods are mostly centred around urban areas with a focus on disaster response with little attention to mitigation. There is no reference in existing policies to water management in mountain areas with respect to climate change, and mountain-relevant hazards are not adequately addressed by the policies. All the Central Asian countries recognise the importance of, and have priorities for sustainable water management, with a number of policies addressing the sector. The countries also recognised that the water sector will be adversely affected by climate

Girdimanchay river near Lahij, Azerbaijan

change. However, long-term strategies, including for climate change adaptation, is limited or still under development. Of the countries, Kyrgyzstan is the only one to have a specific adaptation program for the sector, the Program and Action Plan for Adaptation of Agriculture and Water Resources to

data sharing (including groundwater aquifers) and the development of flood early-warning/ forecasting systems. • Given that water availability is expected to become more unpredictable, innovative water management and storage solutions should be explored, particularly in areas prone to drought. Furthermore, solutions should be designed to capitalise on times of plentiful / “too much” water. In parallel, improvements in water efficiency are needed given that water demand is likely to further increase.

Climate Change for 2016–2020. Key Recommendations

• As water is a highly transboundary issue, regional cooperation should be a priority in mountain regions with an emphasis on hydrological

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